Lieutenant Governor Endorses Patel for Hillsborough Commission

Aakash Patel is running for the District 1 seat on the Hillsborough County Commission.

TAMPA – Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has endorsed Aakash Patel for the District 1 seat on the Hillsborough County Commission.

Lopez-Cantera, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2004 through 2012, worked with Patel in his activities related to Leadership Tampa Bay.Patel is a 2011 graduate and current member of the board of directors of Leadership Tampa Bay. Leadership Tampa Bay is a long standing program that promotes the prosperity and assets of the Tampa Bay Region by educating and training leaders in the business community.

“I had the opportunity to get to know Aakash Patel through his work with Leadership Tampa Bay and his service on their board of directors since 2014,” Lopez-Cantera said. “Aakash has impressed me with his drive, ambition and ability to apply his conservative ideals to encourage and mentor others in the business community and leadership roles.

“I strongly support his effort to become a member of the Hillsborough County Commission where I am certain he will work to consistently apply his solid conservative principals in all that he does. I wholeheartedly endorse Aakash Patel, in his campaign to become the next Hillsborough County Commissioner for District 1.”

Patel said he is extremely honored to have the support and endorsement of the Lt. Governor.

“I am extremely honored to have the support of such a true conservative friend as Carlos Lopez-Cantera. Having spent time advancing individuals in leadership roles beside the Lt. Governor, I sincerely admire his strength and guidance across the state of Florida,” Patel said. “I sincerely thank Lt. Governor Lopez-Cantera for his endorsement of my campaign for Hillsborough County Commission.”

Patel, the 2017 recipient of the Deanne Dewey Roberts Emerging Leader Award, from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and successful millennial founder of Elevate, Inc., is running for Hillsborough County Commission District 1. He said he looks forward to working on issues important to residents of Hillsborough County including education, economic development and government efficiency among many others.

Two others are also running for the District 1 seat – Patel’s fellow Republican C. Todd Marks and Democrat Jen McDonald.